Press buck



May 20, 1941. .1. M. DEWEY PRESS BUCK Filed April 1:5, 1958 2Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG-2 ATTORN Y y 1941- J. M. DEWEY 2,242,513

' rmzzss BUCK Filed April 13, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.-- 3

' INVENTOR JAMES M. DEWEY ATTOR Patented May 20, 1941 PRESS BUCK JamesM. Dewey, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The American Laundry MachineryCompany, Norwood, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application April 13,1938, Serial No. 201,664

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for pressing orironing mens shirts. More particularly it relates to a special pressingelement or buck for pressing the front body portions of open frontshirts. The invention also provides novel pressing mechanism forcompletely ironing with a high grade finish all of the body portions ofmens open front shirts in a manner which requires handling of the shirtsbut twice.

Heretofore in the production of a high grade pressing or ironing finishupon mens open front shirts there has been required either considerableuse of a hand finishing iron after use of certain machine finishingapparatus or there has been required a large number of lays of the shirtfor complete machine finishing on comparatively simplified apparatus orgreatly complicated apparatus has been provided so as to reduce thenumber of times which the shirt had to be handled. It has been foundunsatisfactory to machine finish the front body portions of mens openfront shirts by subjecting them to a pressing operation with the shirtfront closed, that is to say, with the button and buttonhole edgesoverlapping one another. This method sometimes has required a buttoningand unbuttoning of the shirt front during the pressing operation or ithas forced the buttons into the buttonhole strip making unsightly marks,or it has required the use of a metal plate between the button andbuttonhole strips during a pressing operation which was not entirelysatisfactory and which added time to the pressing operation. Specialbucks or bosom boards have been provided for this operation but suchequipment has been a compromise either in that it did not support theshirt in the best position for high grade finishing or that theequipment was ill adapted for handling shirts of different sizes.

It has been found that these open front shirts are best finished when.draped in what is known in the trade as the keystone position, that isto say, with the button and buttonhole edges of the shirt front morewidely separated at the tail end than at the neckband end. When theneckband is clamped in the usual neckband holder this permits .the mostsatisfactory draping of, the front body portionsupon a flat or slightlyconpressing buck adapted to support the shirt front body portions inkeystone position and the buck is made adjustable so as to accommodateshirts of different sizes but each size is supported for a pressing orironing operation in the most eificient position on the buck. Whenshirts of different sizes are to be ironed, each half of the buck ispreferably wide enough to support the largest shirt as far as the sideseam.

Another feature of the present invention is a combination of the buckabove described for the complete machine finishing simultaneously of thetwo halves of an open front shirt with another buck on the same machinefor the complete machine finishing of the back of the shirt, and thecombination with a heated chest and mechanism by which one or the otherof the bucks may be alternately moved into pressing engagement with theheated chest whereby the entire body portion of the shirt may be ironedin two lays.

The above described buck for completely machine finishing the front bodyportions of an open front shirt in one lay is combined with a structurewhereby the front shoulder portions of the shirt are at the same timeheld in pressing position upon substantially the same plane with therest of the shirt front and machine finishe in the same operation.

The buck for complete machine finishing of the back of the shirt is alsoformed to hold the back yoke portion in pressing position insubstantially the same plane as the rest of the back so that it ismachine finished at the same time with the back body portion.

My invention thus provides equipment for machine finishing not only theshirt body portions but also the complete machine finishing of the yokeof an open front shirt in two lays, that is to say, one shirt is handledonly twice to produce the highest grade finish and this withsubstantially no finishing with a hand iron afterwards.

My invention also includes the various struc- I tural forms shown in thedrawings and described in the specification for carrying out the abovedescribed operations and the essential features of my invention will beset forth in the'claims.

In the drawings, Fig.1 'is'a front elevation of a turret type pressprovided'with my improved Ila to follow the armhole seam of a shirt ifdesired. The neckband end edges of the buck portions may be providedwith a special form for the more eflicient finishing of the front yokeportions as will be later described.

The buck portions are arranged for separating and approach movementlaterally in a manner to cause their meeting edges to diverge from theneckband end toward the tail end of the shirt. The means illustrated forthis purpose comprises the pivotal mounting of each half of the buck onpivot pins I2, one for each buck portion and located adjacent theneckband ends and adjacent the meeting edges of the buck portions. Thesepivot pins are mounted in a pedestal I3 which provides a solid supportfor both buck portions in any of their adjusted positions. Each half ofthe buck comprises a plate member provided with downwardly extendingribs I4 on the lower faces thereof, these ribs resting upon suitableupper surfaces of the pedestal I3 so that as each buck portion isoscillated about its pivot pin I2 the buck is firmly supported on thepedestal I3 for a pressing operation. The neckband ends of the meetingedges of the buck portions are cut away as at IBb and I ID to permit theoscillation of the buck portions about their pivots and. also to permita proper draping of the shirt as will be presently described. ,Theneckband end edges are inclined from the center outwardly toward theopposite end of the buck as shown at Inc and He in a' manner toaccommodate the front yoke portions as will be presently described. Theneckband block I5 is supported on the pedestal I3 in any suitable mannerand in the embodiment shown the pivot pins I2 are used for this purpose.Preferably the neckband block is set inwardly from the neckband end ofthe buck suificiently so that when a neckband is clamped on the blockthe shirt front body portions are pulled far enough over the end edgesI00 and I I0 to hold the front yoke portions in advance of the shoulderline on the buck portions I0 and II for a pressing operation as bestseen in Fig. 2. Here the 'front yoke portions are indicated at I6 and I(la. The cut-away portions Iflb and Ill: aid in the proper draping ofthe shirt at this point, that is to say, any excess of the neckband oryoke of the shirt may be draped inwardly at that point so that both theneckband and the front yoke portions may be properly held in position.

The neckband clamp is of usual construction and comprises a clampingstrap I! supported by a frame I8 which is rotatable into and out ofcoacting clamping position about the block I5 by means of a handle I9.This entire clamping band structure is supported on a bracket and isfully shown and described in Patent No. 1,743,256, granted January 14,1930, to Charles E. Waream.

A clamp may be provided for holding the tails of 'the shirt in pressingposition on the buck portions if desired. In the form shown a strip ofspring metal 2| is supported transversely of the buck portions by a rod22 passing downwardly through thepedestal I3 and provided at its lowerend with a collar 23. A spring 24 biases the tail clamp toward clampingposition.

The means provided for causing approach and separating movement of thebuck portions I0 and II comprises a handle lever 25 pivotally mounted onthe pedestal at 26 intermediate its ends. This handle is connected bylink 21 with a T-shape bellcrank 28 which is pivotally mounted on thepedestal at 29. One arm of the bellcrank is connected by link 29 withbuck portion I0 and another arm of the bellcrank is connected by link 30with the buck portion II. It will be obvious from an inspection of thedrawings that oscillation of handle 25 in one direction causes openingmovement of the buck portions from the position of Fig. 4 to that ofFig. 2 while movement of the handle in the other direction closes thebuck portions.

The width of the buck portions I0 and II is such that with the buttonand buttonhole edges draped along the inner or meeting edges of the buckportions as shown in Fig. 2, the side seams of the shirt will besubstantially parallel to the outer side edges of the buck portions.

The buck 3| comprises two half members 3Ia and 3Ib movable laterallywhile remaining parallel to each other, the space between them beingbridged by a plate member 32. This plate member 32 may be attached tothe portion 3Ia or 3Ib while overlapping the member to which it is notattached but preferably the plate 32 is rigidly secured to thesupporting pedestal 33 so that it floats in position between the movablebuck portions. The lower faces of members 3| a and 3Ib are provided withguiding flanges 34 which engage fixed guides 35 carried by the pedestal33. A handle 36 is connected by cranks and linkage with the members 3Iaand 3Ib to provide relative approach and separating movement thereof ina manner analogous to that described for handle 25 of the front laybuck.

Preferably the neckband end of the back lay buck 3i is arranged in amanner to support the back yoke portion of the shirt in the same planewith the shirt back during a pressing operation. To this end theneckband end edge of the back lay buck has a central portion 31corresponding to the width of the neckband and inclined side portions310. and 31b. These side portions are arranged at an angle A ofapproximately to with the longitudinal axis of the buck. It has beenfound that with the neckband end of the buck of this form, the back yokeportion may be draped as indicated at 38 in Fig. 2 so that the yokeportion 38 and the portions 16 and -I6a include substantially the entireyoke portion of the shirt with the possible exception of a slightunfinished line between the back and front yoke portions which is notobjectionable as it provides the operator with a folding line.

Any suitable equipment may be provided for causing a suitable pressingoperation between one or both of the bucks described and a heatedironing member. The present embodiment shows the usual turret type presshaving a heated chest 39 and a rotatable frame 48 upon which are mountedthe pedestals l3 and 33 so that upon frame rotation either buck 3| orthe buck portions I8 and -I I are brought into registration with andthen into pressing engagement with the heated turret 39.

The mechanism for rotating the frame 48 and causing a pressing operationis more fully described and claimed in my copending application, Ser.No. 101,641, filed September 19, 1936, and will be but briefly describedhere. In the base of the machine is a cylinder 4| provided with a piston42 whose piston rod 43 is adapted to register with and engage adownwardly extending stem 33a or I30, connected with the pedestals 33and I3 respectively, so that as pressure fluid is supplied below piston42 either of the bucks is raised into pressure engagement with the chest39. Control valves 44 are operable by means of a lever '35 pivotedintermediate its ends and connected by a link 36 with a lever 41 whichis pivotally mounted on the base at 48. One end of lever i! is connectedat 49 with a piston rod 50 of a vertically acting servo-motor 5| andalso with a locking bar 52 guided for vertical movement. When either ofthe bucks is in pressing position the locking bar 52 engages in notch53a. or 53b of a collar 58 which is rotatable with the frame 40 so as tohold the turret indexed. Motive fluid is supplied to servo-motor 5| byeither of valves 54 to raise locking bar 52- and register notch 52a.thereof with the collar 53. At the same time lever 3! is moved againstthe bias of spring 55 causing oscillation of lever 45 and movement ofvalves M to exhaust the fluid below piston d2. The piston then dropslowering the buck after a pressing operation and mechanism indicatedgenerally at 56 is tripped as the piston lowers and kicks the frame 40to rotate it 180 at which time another buck will register with the chest39 and the locking bar 52 will hold the turret in indexed position atwhich time spring 55 will oscillate lever 85 as the locking bar 52 movesdownwardly into one of the notches of collar 53.. This will actuate thevalves 44 in direction to raise piston 32 and cause the succeedingpressing operation.

Assuming that at the beginning of a days operation, the front lay buckis in the position of Figs. 1 and 2 out of registration with the chest39, the operation is as follows: By manipulation of handle 25 theoperator preliminarily adjusts the buck portions I and H to the properkeystone position to accommodate the particular size of shirt she isabout to dress on the front lay buck. She then dresses shirt No. 1 overthe buck portions It! and H in the usual manner, adjusting the neckbandor collar around the block I and clamping the same in position by theclamping band ll. The operator then draws the shirt front on the bucksand if the button and buttonhole edges do not properly aline for asuitable lay with the inner edges of the buck portions I!) and H shefurther adjusts such buck portions so that the entire shirt front fromside seam to side seam is in position for a pressing operation. One ofthe control members 54 is then actuated which causes the buck 3| to moveout of pressing position, causes turret 48 to rotate, registering thefront lay buck with the chest 39 and moving the same into pressureengagement. The back lay buck 3! is now in dressing position. Anothershirt No. 2 is dressed on buck 3| to iron the back, properly adjustingthe movable portions of buck 3| if necessary so as to accommodate theentire back portion of shirt No. 2 on the buck to and beyond the sideseams sufiiciently to overlap slightly the portions ironed on the frontlay buck. The press is again operated to rotate the turret 180 Whichmoves the back lay buck into pressing position and brings shirt No. 1,the front of which has just been pressed, to the dressing positionwhereupon the operator removes this shirt and hangs it up preparatory tofinishing the back. She then takes another shirt No. 3 and dresses it onthe front lay buck and again rotates the turret, whereupon shirt No. 2,the back of which was just pressed, is brought around, removed and hungup preparatory to pressing the front. The back of the previously pressedshirt No. 1 is now dressed on the back lay buck 3| for the pressingoperation and when it is moved to pressing position the shirt No. 3 isbrought around and removed from the front lay buck and the front ofshirt No. 2 dressed thereon. The operation of the machine to press thefront of shirt No. 2 brings the finished back of shirt No. 1 to thedressing position whereupon it is removed with the body portioncompletely finished. Another shirt No. 4 is now dressed on the back laybuck and moved to pressing position which brings the finished shirt No.2 to dressing position and the process is continued. This system isexemplary only and others may be followed.

What I claim is:

1. A pressing element for pressing mens shirts comprising two buckportions each adapted to accommodate half a shirt front, said portionshaving mutually facing substantially straight edges along which theedges of an open shirt front are adapted to lie, the end edges of saidportions at the neckband end sloping outwardly and toward the oppositeend of the element, said portions being positioned so that together theysupport the entire shirt front for pressing in one operation, and meansfor causing relative movement laterally between said portions, saidmeans being arranged to provide greater movement adjacent the tail endof a shirt than adjacent the neckband end thereof.

2. A pressing element for pressing mens shirts comprising two buckportions each adapted to accommodate half a shirt front, said portionshaving mutually facing substantially straight edges along which theedges of an open front shirt are adapted to lie, a neckband holderadjacent one end of said mutually facing edges, a pivot support for eachbuck portion near the neckband end of its facing edge, and means forsimultaneously swinging said buck portions about their pivots toaccommodate shirts of different sizes without wrinkling.

3. A pressing element for pressing mens shirts comprising two buckportions each adapted to accommodate half a shirt front, said portionshaving mutually facing substantially straight edges along which theedges of an open front shirt are adapted to lie, said facing edges lyingclose together toward the neckband end of said element, a pivot supportfor each buck portion adjacent said facing edges and at the neckband endthereof, the end portions of said facing edges being cut away to permitswinging of said portions about their pivots and to permit properdraping of a shirt, the end edges of said buck portions at the neckbandend sloping outwardly and toward the opposite end of the element, and aneckband holder spaced inwardly from said end edges in a manner to holdshirt yoke portions forward of the shoulder line in pressing position onsaid buck portions.

JAMES M. DEWEY.

